Integrating biomedical devices into an electronic health record system is a chore, but it doesn't have to be overwhelming. In fact, it just requires a structured methodology to succeed, according to Michael Fraai, director of biomedical engineering at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

BMDI is becoming a top priority in healthcare and hospitals that succeed are doing so by considering patients from the onset.

"Our department has been working with clinicians to deliver efficient and safe patient care integration, as a part of the EHR implementation and biomedical implementation," Fraai said. "It has to be a collaborative effort."

Fraai believes that a successful, seamless and safe integration is contingent upon close partnerships at all levels.

"Timelines will be aggressive,” he said, “but they have to be thoroughly followed. The project management has to be structured and robust to integrate hospitals and, in our case, the vendors."

Fraai will share lessons learned from Brigham and Women’s work during a session at the HIMSS16 Conference and Exhibition in Las Vegas, which begins in late February.

Fraai leads the department of Biomedical Engineering at BWH and has championed the effort for their own implementation — a hospital-wide telemetry system that includes over 1,000 devices and 16,000 medical devices throughout the campus. He focuses on innovative and strategic technologies to meet clinical practice standards.

During the talk he'll discuss key stakeholders and critical stages of project planning, in addition to biomedical device integration methodologies and other resources.

With the increase of cybersecurity threats, the safety aspect is crucial to any biomedical device integration. Fraai will also reveal the best ways to mitigate gaps in current infrastructure, before an integration process can begin.

The session “Biomedical Device Integration into an Electronic Health Record” is slated for March 1, 2016 from 4 – 5 p.m. at the Sands Expo Convention Center Palazzo I.

This story is part of our ongoing coverage of the HIMSS16 conference. Follow our live blog for real-time updates, and visit Destination HIMSS16 for a full rundown of our reporting from the show. For a selection of some of the best social media posts of the show, visit our Trending at #HIMSS16 hub.